


Just Say I Do (aka Tell Me Right Now)

by stylinourry



Series: me and you (my soul is yours; we're fire together) [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Comedy, Humor, I tried to write this half-colloquially and formally, M/M, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Romance, Wedding Fluff, and I have my reasons for not including references to the 4th Shinobi World War ok?, oh my god I may have written my own death fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-05
Updated: 2014-04-05
Packaged: 2018-01-17 11:12:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1385521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stylinourry/pseuds/stylinourry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Uzumaki Naruto is a walking disaster radar.</p><p>Of course he doesn't know what a tux's purpose is, more or less the symbolic, costly promises behind a koi fish pond in the backyard. Naruto thinks he doesn't need all these wishy-washy namby-pamby grandma-old luxuries, plans, traditions.</p><p>Uchiha Sasuke agrees.</p><p>And Haruno Sakura thinks it's about time to slap some sense into their obstinate empty heads.</p><p>She's going to be their wedding planner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Intro

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by a hilarious series of headcanon tags on a NaruSasu panel post I saw on tumblr the other day, and man, I felt the insatiable itch to write a story for it!
> 
> Just imagining the dynamic between Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke while they deal with the common stress engine that is Marriage Preparation makes me crack up, knowing those three and their traits. I tried to write this in the most realistic manner as well - in the way I think it would have been if there was a canon episode (please).
> 
> Once again, this isn't betaed so I apologize for any grammatical errors etc.

The sun rose over the trees, bathing them in myriad hues of violet, orange, and yellow. This lovely scene was suspended in a halo of white clouds, and the guarantee of blue skies whispered to the warm spring breeze.

Within the Fire Country, a separate kind of vague, electric buzz began to grow, handed on silver platters from one inquiring person to another.

Three weeks until the glorious day of spectacle.

Three vexatious weeks.

***

" _Three weeks, baka!_ It's Saturday! Do you know what time it is?!"

The deafening pound on the door of Uzumaki's apartment - accompanied by shrill hostile shrieks - had him whining ungratefully, and after a reckless slew of sake shot sessions with Inuzuka the night before, his head pulsed, unpleasant waves spreading through his head like the sharp clang of a gong.

The 19 year old sat up despite the vertigo and grabbed the glass of water and two painkillers that stood on his bedside table, abruptly stopping mid-glug to read the blue sticky note attached to the glass; neat, familiar, swift unreserved handwriting brought a soft smile to Naruto's countenance and his stomach swirled, _dizzyingly_ , like it always had.

_Stop your alcoholism. Dobe. - U. S._

Strong bouts of warmth wracked Naruto's fatigued body as he let out an overly fond chuckle, yet the constant bangs on his door increased in volume. " _Naruto!_ Wake up you incompetent ass! If you don't come out this instant I'm going to kick-"

Naruto's lips quirked into another smirk. Sakura. Atypical, overbearing kunoichi.

He crossed the threshold, numerous wonderful memories hovering in the background of his mind. He had entered the fifth stage of nostalgic euphoria. Naruto splashed his face, biting cold washing off the drunk morning grogginess that trapped him.

Ever since he had returned on an unsuspecting dewy spring night (the irony), this morning routine sprung to relevance as they gradually moved back into odious harmony, and their sagging ties were renewed with a spark that flourished like the unbeatable bushfires; Naruto had managed to keep his previous sticky notes - attending to those specific nights alone - in a plastic envelope hidden beneath his mattress...the sentimental sap he is. This was no different. However, current circumstances made it a significant monument of change - of the future, and Naruto had waited both patiently and impatiently, all these years, for the very day. There were _three_ weeks left; he was finding it rather incredulously unbelievable now that the time had finally come.

_Careless wreck. - U. S._

_Dobe! - U. S._

_Drinking yourself to death. - U. S._

_Stop. Drinking. - U. S._

_What did I just say? - U. S._

_Mission tomorrow, reckless moron. - U. S._

_You lack_ so _much tact. Fucking idiot. - U. S._

Years prior to his return, you would have expected Sakura to be the unanimous owner of notes such as these, but Sakura's preferred mouthy and definite _physical_ berating instead of self-explanatory notes on his water glasses distinguished her from him in many ways.

Naruto never minded.

It was the dazzling and mundane way Uchiha Sasuke liked to do things.

And Naruto never found a problem with that.

"THAT'S _IT_ -"

"Oi, Sakura. Stop causing a ruckus." 

Naruto almost tripped over his own feet hastily stumbling to the front door as fast as his legs could possibly carry him, and at the same time he felt as if his golden skin was literally emanating sunlight. _He was here._ The blonde's heart raced inexplicably, the overpowering pound of blood the only sound he could hear right at that second. This morning was unlike all other mornings (well, other than the morning after Sasuke walked, alone and bloodied and extremely _spent_ , through Konoha's open gates 42 months ago to the shock of Genma and Izumo - on his own honest, unsoiled accord - and, ah, Kakashi undoubtedly couldn't keep Sakura and Naruto from bailing on their premiere jōunin mission as soon as they heard). 

This time, it was a period of fucking _excitement_ intermingled with anxiety. And Naruto resisted the urge to fly away atop cloud nine.

"Naru-"

"TEME!!!"

Sasuke lets out an 'oomph' as Naruto hugs him tight, slipping an arm around his waist and pecking his pale cheek despite the slight onslaught of sour morning breath that wafted out of Naruto's mouth and he closes the door behind them, much to Sakura's fiery chagrin (all that racket she went through); a severely distracted Naruto was not to be handled. "Leave it open, _bakayarou_!" Naruto doesn't listen. He was preoccupied with whispering sweet, hushed nothings to the emotionally devoid Uchiha, but there were copious amounts of red blush saturating his snowy skin, one slender hand pressing gently, idly, atop Naruto's chest.

"You see me _everyday_. Don't act so-"

"Maa maa, Sasuke, sorry I got drunk again-"

Another pale hand punches a tan shoulder, unyielding to a downturned pout from the male alongside him.

"After I specifically _told_ you not to?"

"Once we're married I'll break the habit completely, okay? Pervy Sage was a real influence."

Sasuke releases a light chuckle, mocking and lilted, black eyes turning towards brilliant cerulean.

Well.

"As if."

"I promise, teme! And you...you _know_ I don't break promises."

Sasuke truly does.

A stifling, unbelievable majority of Naruto's life was spent on these promises. They were incredible testaments to the bold and fiery spirit of the man Sasuke had grown to love more than anything else in this clouded world.

It was because of Naruto's infallible promise to bring him home - the determined yell infused with passion that haunted Sasuke's mind almost his entire life - that he decided to turn around and find his way back.

And it was because of Naruto that hope once again emblazoned his surroundings.

Naruto had shown Sasuke what really was, undoubtedly so, important.

The air grows thick. Morning humidity clings to their necks, descending upon them, symbolic of a new, open chapter while still clinging to the past's treasures (childhood itself couldn't even surpass the moment he met the Uchiha, for the very first time, at a corner store, chewing on a dango, clinging to his mother's dress); Naruto kisses him deeply, and Sasuke seems to forget his common sense of self-control, like he always had when Uzumaki gave him these said kisses, by pressing down firmer atop his lips, and Naruto's rough tan fingers knead his raven hair lovingly and _softly_. Their mouths begin to move - an arduous graceful dance - and when Sasuke automatically wraps his arms around the blonde's robe-clad waist while Naruto in turn looks more than satisfied, both now oblivious goners to their third teammate, she holds back a big unceremonious urge to mime-vomit.

Sakura clears her throat and stomps inside, purposely ignoring the _gross_ unnecessary display of affection outside of the blonde's apartment. "Three weeks until you two can disgustingly consummate like that - and Naruto, you open the door when it's your _fiancé_ and not your sister! Humph," she yells from the abode, deep fondness quickly taking over her initial irritation, and for a little while, as she shrugs out of her hospital coat, Sakura undergoes a slideshow of memories.

She pulled out a chair and plopped down on it rather absent-mindedly, in a daze, and the realization of what was, indeed, going to take place three weeks from now caught up to her, sharp as rain.

 _"I'll bring him back, Sakura-chan! I promise!"_ Naruto had told her that grieving day. The Konoha 11 were embarking on the Sasuke Retrieval mission, then completely unaware that they would barely escape the clutches of death.

It still felt too much like yesterday for Sakura to contemplate...like a fresh scab that was taking longer to heal. The young shinobi would be laying their very lives on the line for someone who had betrayed their village by own will, and Naruto, despite Sakura's insistence to deter him from the mission when she realized the total stupidity of her request, was only a sheer picture of hope who blinded everyone looking at him, mind already made up. He was simply laughing in the face of despair - constantly, _always_ optimistic.

Even when the worst befell them, stripping away what little breadth of hope - what small pieces of faith - was left, the blonde immediately found the silver lining no matter how obscure it appeared.

 _"It's the promise of a lifetime!"_ He had grinned at Sakura's crying, hunched form, and an epiphany dawned that moment, sloughing truth all over her. 

Although the concern, the longing and the endless care she felt for him may have confirmed it otherwise, even to herself, Sakura knew she wasn't really in love with the Uchiha.

Naruto was.

And although Naruto as well harbored pretty unkempt, scattered feelings towards Sakura since the conception of Team 7, she couldn't believe how dense they all were.

Lengthy and confusing as it had been for Sakura to accept what was truly there, she lent her brothers the opportunity to look beyond the old walls that kept them from _seeing_ one another, physical and mental blocks included.

And the fact that this time she was about to play a major role "in their unity"-

Sakura wiped off a surprising tear that escaped one corner of her eyes, smiling inwardly, before a fish cake pajama-clad Naruto bounded through the open door, Sasuke in tow.

"Hey, Sakura-chan! Sorry, sorry," he chastised, letting go of the Uchiha's hand to embrace her, his brilliant grin plastered on his sunkissed face. "Why are you here? What's the occasion?" His intuitive teal eyes twinkled, anticipating something that Sakura knew would be very, in a sense, _celebratory_.

And Sakura had been over the moon for years now with her many sketches, proofs and messy scribbles, collected in a giant blood-red manila folder just for this mere event. The teasing she would endure dignifyingly for the big humongous W was more than worth it.

She claps her hands, bouncing childishly on the balls of her feet, and Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a knowing, curious glance. The blonde laughed at her antics, scratching his head, and the Uchiha was barely complying, smirk in place. "Heh, _ne_ , Sakura-chan...?" 

Annoyance flitted across her features at how dense they were, yet what else did she expect from two unglamorous young men?

"We don't have enough time! If you two could only clue in faster," she mutters, rolling her eyes, but the air of eagerness surrounding her seemed to choke both Naruto and Sasuke like a vice that they shouldn't dare run away from.

As if she was walking on graceful water, Sakura strode towards her bag with a happy sigh and pulled out a red folder, Naruto's eyes bugging out at its size, while the male alongside him made a noncommital "hn" sound, gaze transfixed on the folder she was now gingerly carrying and placing it onto the chabudai.

"That's the reason why you're acting so weird? What is it?!" Naruto exclaimed, sitting atop the futon; his hands vaguely itched to open the folder himself.

Sakura stared at the Uzumaki, lips upturning into a bedazzled smile.

"Okay - I drew all of these back when we were genin...when I was still crazy-obsessed with your fiancé and convinced I was going to marry him-" she starts, rose blushes rushing to the skin of her cheeks, and Naruto cackles _hard_ , his fist pounding the table so enthusiastically that Sasuke had no choice but to watch him; he was as amused as the blonde was, biting back a laugh.

Naruto wheezed again, clutching his side, and Sakura's eyes glimmered, mouth struggling to betray her emotions. "I know, I know! Funny, right?" she gushed, stretching out one hand to grasp Sasuke's forearm. "I was _thirteen _! I fully revised them anyway! Don't hold it against me Sasuke-kun-", she whines; the Uchiha was quite more moved than usual, a light laugh slipping out from his own mouth. He shoved Naruto by the chest backwards onto the floor with his foot, not once looking back at his boisterous protests ("Teme!!").__

"She was a young naive prepubescent, you dobe. It's not like you weren't attracted to Sakura either-"

"O-oi!" Naruto splutters, sitting back up in a blur and pointing a shaky finger. "I so wasn't! Th-that was once!" 

Sasuke rolled his dark eyes at him, humming. "Whatever you say. Literally _everyone_ saw your deep infatuation with her sticking out like a sore thumb before, especially Tsunade. And I'm still convinced you're not nineteen, by the way, what with your immaturity," he chuckles, picking up the the folder and holding it out to a slightly mortified Sakura despite Naruto's silent literate struggle, but Naruto manages a genuine, weak mutter of: "That was before I realized I loved _you_."

Sasuke hears the blonde's words, awkward silence frothing over, and his lips curl into a fond smile.

"I know," he says, tone buoyant enough to be dismissed, soft enough to go unheard. 

"Anyway, let's start. We don't want to waste your time," Sasuke tells her. Sakura exhales, mentally preparing herself for weeks of stress that she was already devoting her well-being to.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura chirps, and with that, the after-effects of embarrassment ebbing away, she plops down on the futon, followed by an attentive Sasuke, and Naruto abashedly crawls up beside the latter, callused, golden fingers intertwining with fair ones. 

"First: I don't know if you two gave your full consent yet, but Tsunade-sama did. And because both of us know it's super likely that you have no single flying idea how to organize proper weddings-"

"Well Sasuke does," Naruto interjects, none the wiser, and he goes ignored.

"I'll be your wedding planner!" Sakura says, clapping her hands together again, jovial, and Naruto's eyebrows furrow animatedly, demanding if he had heard right.

This would mean...

Oh no.


	2. Briefing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for waiting!
> 
> I do hope this chapter is laden with feels and actual wedding planning (:
> 
> P.s this was not beta-ed, unfortunately! So I apologize for any grammatical/syntax/technical errors yadda yadda.

"We don't like all those luxurious traditional stuffs, right, Sasuke?" The blonde argues, squeezing Sasuke's hand, and an oddly funny picture of Konoha's number one couple sitting across from her, extremely hesitant, happens to anger and bolster her a bit.

"Hey. Yes we're aware it's sure as hell not going to be a joyride - weddings never were - but they are formal, official declarations of your love!" Sakura swoons. "They've been around for centuries and centuries! I can't believe you two, soon-to-be Uchiha Uzumaki Naruto and Sasuke, out of _all_ people, would back out of what's sure to be the village's greatest celebration this year!"

"The greatest celebration would be my instalment as Hokage, _obviously_ -"

Sasuke shushes him, pointed glance following. "This isn't about you, Naruto. It's about the both of us," he mentions (Naruto pecks his cheek in reply) and Sakura almost gags at the incredible ability of their little interactions - as subtle as they are - to display their genuine dedication to one another that she still has yet to discover herself. It was all too bittersweet.

"And Sakura...we're not the type to host such an elaborate event-"

"But _please_ consider it, Sasuke-kun! You two are elaborate yourselves! I mean, Uchiha and Uzumaki? The entire village is no doubt going to attend this wedding and I've never felt intense vibes of excitement every time I talked to a villager before!" Sakura began to shove her foot all up into the butt of this relief effort.

No _way_ were they skipping out on the inevitable wedding of this century. And Sakura was growing rather way too impatient for her liking, their disagreement be damned.

Sasuke pauses, head cocked in contemplation, and for what seems like a dormant eternity he nods ever so slightly, Sakura almost missing the gesture if she had moved her gaze elsewhere. Naruto, on the other hand, grew quiet, the real essence of his maturity emerging now. Sakura glances between them and resists the strong intense tug of admiration for her two best friends as they converse, Naruto's brow line dipping attractively. His robust hands move, swift, correspond to the words coming out of his mouth when he talked. Sasuke is just as engrossed in what his fiancé can possibly say, and his onyx eyes glimmer, strong jawline starkly set. 

They had grown into extremely handsome young men, more appealing than they already were, features sharp, prominent, also more than lovely enough to send a female (as well as male) cranium reeling into the depths. As Ino put it herself, both were " _invaluable embodiments of beauty - the hottest shitting shinobi in town; why would somebody be surprised that they're madly in love with each other, out of all people?_ " And Sakura's wistfulness flies across her mind for a brief second until disappearing inside a white cloud of affection for them.

Yes, she had harboured serious feelings for both Naruto and Sasuke at certain points in her life.

Yes, she was ready for this.

She did prepare for this task, as mentally and emotionally taxing as it is, and when Head Kunōichi is nearly in her grasp she wouldn't dare slip away from her obligation as the wedding planner of Naruto and Sasuke, having gone through eons of challenges together in the _bleakest_ of dark days.

Who was she kidding?

And she had suspected without a doubt, long ago, that they weren't quite as...straight...as she thought they were. 

"Fine."

"What?" Sakura's ears sang.

Sasuke speaks, voice silken, composed. Naruto grins at her, his face a picture of giddy confidence through a smile that exudes the ever-positive child in him; Sakura feels like crying then and there at her triumph.

"I said fine - you're now our personal wedding planner."

This was it. Sakura couldn't believe her ears.

" _Really?!_ "

Sakura shrieks, her laughter and contagious smile washing over the two men. She jumps up, pulling them into a _tight_ embrace, arms squeezing their necks, and the happiness in the air is so thick, so palpable. Naruto and Sasuke are as elated as she is, smiling at one another over her dainty back, and Naruto snickers at her enormous enthusiasm.

"Oh my god!! Thank you thank you _thank you_!" Sakura squealed, taking both Naruto and Sasuke's hands into her own slender ones and shaking them, like tremors across an earthquake. "Do you know what this means? I promise you'll love the recommendations I have for you, and Naruto-" she exclaims, poking Naruto's forehead with a manicured finger,"you can help me with the food arrangements!"

Naruto's teal eyes brighten and he lets out a loud whoop, grinning maniacally at his fiancé, who raises an eyebrow in contained amusement. "You better not make the whole menu an oil pond full of heart attacks, dobe."

" _What_? If you want to include your gross excuses of healthy 'vegetarian fish salad' garnished with raw tomatoes then suit yourself!" Naruto cries, lightly punching the Uchiha's pale cheek. "Except-"

Naruto leans closer to Sasuke, his nose deliberately skimming his ear, and Sakura sighs at the odd scene in front of her.

"-no one will probably eat any of it."

"Why you-!"

Sasuke grabs a guffawing Naruto's arm and flips him forward rapidly, his face pressed down upon the carpet and one knee firmly lodged atop Naruto's squirming, broad back.

He smirks.

"I may burn your year's worth of preservative instant ramen if you exclude even one damn healthy dish, you understand?" Sasuke offers, voice smooth and even - a genuine, harmless threat - and Sakura is trying quite hard not to burst out in uncontrollable giggling because _honestly_.

"EEH? No, Sasuke! There's no way in hell that you can find out where I hid my ramen collection!"

"Under your moldy old bed - and change your mattress, for God's sake."

Naruto chucks a pillow at the Uchiha, who dutifully dodges his uncoordinated throw with ease. 

"TEME!"

\--

Naruto is sulking. He hasn't expected Sakura to wake him up at the ass-crack of dawn on a cloudy Sunday, and although Sasuke promised to meet them by the markets, he knew his job would not be a mere walk in the park.

He had changed into his regular orange jumper, as missions were never assigned on Sundays, and he stumbled out the door of his ratty apartment (which he would be leaving behind soon), grumbling to himself about how early it was, how _troublesome_ it was to go shopping when he preferred sleeping in. Now Naruto was no Shikamaru, but he couldn't decipher what frightening tactics Ino used to drive him away from a single bed all these years.

Speaking of Ino-

"Naruto! Yoohoo!" A shrill, sugary voice cooed to him, and Naruto near curses at his tiny discovery. If Ino was coming along, they would be dragged through unnecessary hells; Sakura was no such exception.

"Heh, you're - Sakura-chan invited you too," Naruto mutters, feigning a warm, crooked grin, and Ino overlooks his complete lack of enthusiasm, which was surprising.

_Is Sakura-chan serious?_

"Yeah!! Sakura just went to grab some shopping baskets! It's going to be _epic_!" Ino tells him, clapping her purple-manicured hands together, and her expression is too avid to glance at; Naruto figures his appearance was totally burnt, the sallow outline of faint grey circles lining his electric blue eyes, but nonetheless, he last checked that this was _wedding planning_ and not a Girl's Sweet Night Out. 

"W-where's Sasuke?" Naruto mumbles. Ino flings a slim arm over his shoulder, batting her exuberant eyelashes. "I know you can't wait to grace yourself with the babe's presence - he's right there," she sings, her chin nodding, and long platinum blonde hair bobs; Naruto blushed, fiercely, at how unsubtle and straightforward and blunt Ino can be when love is brought up, and he can feel his pride wilting.

Naruto's eyes follow Ino's gaze, and he bolts from beneath the Yamanaka's uncomfortable headlock, feet racing towards Sasuke. He was dressed in simple attire, his sharp jawline slightly obscured by a signature high-collared Uchiha tank, and Naruto near cries at the wonderful sight of his fiancé's exposed arms, lean and porcelain pale and all sinew; Sasuke pulled off Sunday wear exceptionally, and Naruto resists grabbing him, because who else was lucky enough, deserving enough to belong to this man? Sometimes the Uzumaki was strapped with unbecoming nightmares in which Sasuke is the merciless product of a genjutsu someone had cast upon him, and that everything Naruto is blessed with was nothing but a cruel, vile dream he would never reach - a result of missed opportunities and wrong choices and unfair circumstances, but Naruto would wake up, gasping for air in Sasuke's arms. Tears dotted his eyes during those restless nights, and Sasuke was there to kiss his sweaty forehead, to tell him he was immersed in a corrupt dreamworld.

The comforting presence of his lover, his best friend and companion, pushed Naruto's vortex of past monsters away, and the blonde wasn't quite sure he would ever wholeheartedly believe that Sasuke Uchiha loved him.

Sasuke had loved him since they first met as abandoned orphans. It was still a surreal fact, and Naruto's chest would beat, infinitesmal like a gong.

Naruto snapped out of his stupor, revelling in Sasuke's appearance, and his fiancé cocks a curious ink black eyebrow at Naruto, says "what?", ebony eyes clearly expressing his confusion.

"Nothing! You just look so - so hot today, teme," Naruto whispers to him, under Ino's earshot, and the Uchiha smirks, red saturating the bridge of the Uzumaki's nose.

"Aren't I always?"

"Prick," Naruto digs, a childish pout upon his golden face, and Sasuke squeezes Naruto's hand in a silent, mocking reply.

"I thought you said you were gonna meet us by the markets!"

Naruto walks beside him, Ino waving her hands at Sasuke in overt joyous greetings, and the Uchiha acknowledges Naruto's exclamation with a tilt of his head. "Sakura thought you'd die early before I met you there, dobe. She knows you hate 'girl shopping'," Sasuke says, a chuckle on his lips, and Naruto yelps in protest.

"Well I guess she's right," the blonde admitted after a few moments, grinning wide; Sasuke tries, effortlessly, not to stare at him for a long time.

Naruto was _beautiful_. These mindblowing, uncharacteristic "oh my goodness"-like thoughts would regenerate inside Sasuke's mind frequently, and Sasuke wasn't above recognizing sheer beauty when he saw it...especially in the boy who nailed his heart on the cross for Sasuke, rescued him from a blackness that nearly succeeded in stealing him away (forever), towards a world of evil and carnage and raw revenge.

The Uzumaki knew this, of course. And he knew that Sasuke could not hold back from admiring him. At all. The blonde was the only person who pushed Sasuke's blank self-control to the brink. Thus, Naruto would dress snappingly, crisp and taut, on purpose, wanting to elicit throes of lust that overcame the couple (six times a day, lord) during face-to-face contact such as this. However, Sasuke's bedroom was blocks away. And the blatant fact that they were now fiancés had made Sasuke's arousal even greater, more so than he preferred displaying in public. 

_Damn the smug dobe._

"We're supposed to come along anyway - Sakura-chan's our wedding planner and I want to see how she's going to handle it!"

"It would be disastrous to see you cooperate," Sasuke adds, tone monotonous, and the Uchiha marvels at Naruto's insulted response.

Naruto opens his mouth, on the verge of serving Sasuke a cutting, crude remark reserved only for his fiancé - better yet, a private inside joke - until a pink blur penetrates the (close, pinky close) distance between the two men.

"Sakura-chan! What took you so long?"

Sakura is radiant, her green eyes gleaming, and Naruto crosses his arms.

"Forget I asked-"

"AH! Are you guys _hyped_?" she screams in Naruto and Sasuke's ears as she lurches forward to hug them both, and they manage not to collapse from her smother, Sasuke quite overwhelmed at the disturbing regularity of these hugs.

Sakura doesn't notice. Her hands hold them both, vice-like grip cutting off circulation to their respective wrists, and large wooden baskets obscure the Haruno's own arms. Naruto eyes the baskets with conspicuous disgust, and Sasuke, during rare occurrences such as this, had felt an inane impulse to run away.

"First, we're going to discuss wedding attire!!" Ino crows at Sakura's mutual eagerness to begin the preparations, and the two men, with varying expressions of apprehension written on their faces, inch closer to their female teammate - helpless and resigned now that the choice has been made.

"Then we'll discuss theme options with Ino's help - she's our decorator! After that, _food time_! The banquet is the most important: we're going to make it as _luxé_ as the wedding itself! We're talking GRANDEUR here!!" Sakura shrieks, her arms flailing like a rag doll, and Sasuke is chuckling at the way Naruto is thinking of escape, his clear expression one of idiotic, clumsy determination.

Sasuke's own porcelain hand wraps around his fiancé's forearm, and the Uchiha looks at him with mirth in his onyx eyes. "It was also your idea we give Sakura a chance. We'll be putting up with her together."

"But-"

Naruto is silenced beneath Sasuke's steel gaze.

" _Gratitude_ is what we're showing her. It's the least we can do, so don't screw up. Understand, dobe?"

Naruto glances longingly at Sakura and Ino, who are both chattering amongst themselves about the plans that loom before them, plans that will unravel in seconds, and he sighs in defeat, because of course Sasuke is right: his voice of reason never fails to win.

"Fiiine-ttebayo," the Uzumaki whines, another indistinguishable pout on his bronze face that Sasuke keeps himself from kissing away. He turns back; Sasuke motions to Sakura without a word. The Yamanaka bounds off, pulling the pinkette along with her, and there's a merry jest in her steps.

"Let's go! Time's of the essence for you lovebirds," Ino crowed, disappearing through the throng before the two men have a chance to follow her, and Sasuke watches Naruto greet an elderly woman who reaches out to him as they pass by, his ocean-blue eyes reflecting happiness that is as lustrous as his glowing smile.

No matter how many times it has been said, Sasuke couldn't believe the man was his.

"Nice to meet you, Shira-san!" Naruto gushes. He lends her a bow. The hunched lady was charismatic at first sight, her brown chocolate eyes warm as they set upon Sasuke.

"Sasuke, Shira-san. Shira-san, this is Sasuke Uchiha, my husband-to-be." The Uchiha's blood vessels enlarge involuntarily at the sound of his title, for who can truly get used to hearing it, stated in person? Sasuke, ignoring the titular flutters of his stomach, bows promptly towards the senior woman, and her thin mouth crinkles into a youthful, bold grin.

"Ah, Sasuke Uchiha-kun. I've always wanted to meet you and Naruto-kun after all these years," she starts, her weathered tone pleasant. "I've heard a-many great things about you both, and it seems fate has wished we see one another before your anticipated marriage!"

"Isn't that cool, Shira-san?" Naruto exclaims, his fingers slipping between Sasuke's delicate ones, and the Uchiha nods in polite agreement. "You could say I'm the luckiest guy in the whole wide world!"

Sasuke rolls his eyes, his composure detached yet amiable enough in front of the elder.

Although she was of short stature, she appeared wise, lively beyond her age, and she waved her red uchiwa. "Yes you are, Naruto-kun." She peers at the Uchiha, intelligent eyes observing him eagerly, and Sasuke wonders what on earth the woman could possibly be thinking.

"Sasuke-kun is your other half. He is your strength. He'll love you, cherish you, until the end of the universe. I think you are more than lucky: you're _blessed_ , my boy!"

Naruto flushes, maroon pooling around the sinew of his neck, and Sasuke is properly abashed, his own face betraying the smallest indication that he, too, was so smitten with the raucous blonde imbecile.

"Thank you, Shira-san," Naruto quietly said; his voice is drizzled in such deep sincerity, like the sun sprinkling more love over his fiancé than Sasuke already has, that he cannot help but press his lips against Naruto's golden cheek for a few dear seconds, seconds that (although they felt long) he isn't at all embarrassed to spend in front of an old lady.

The Uchiha is, of course, satisfied with himself as Naruto's blonde eyelashes flutter. Amorous blue eyes silently plead him to kiss later, not now, not _here_ , and Sasuke immediately understands what Naruto means, because once they got started, they often couldn't stop, and passion would overtake their drives, break their inhibitions by miles, especially within the private confines of Sasuke's bedroom-

"Sasuke-kun! Naruto!"

The said men start at the impatient female voice; Sakura is way ahead, Ino on her trail, and they tattle over a poor fabric merchant who is frightened and anxious, vibrant silken rolls held in his sturdy hands.

Sasuke nudges the Uzumaki, tells him, "we should go - have pity on the fabric merchant," and Naruto laughs at the Uchiha's crass, lacking, idiosyncratic humour. With a friendly goodbye to the elderly woman Naruto bounded off before Sasuke, waving his arms, shouting "you're scaring him Sakura-chan!" and the Uchiha once again feels warmth all over: warmth that ignites and implodes and creates fireworks.

Shira nudges him one last time, gaze twinkling, and Sasuke glances at her quiescently. "Don't be afraid to smile often. Your love for Naruto makes you happy more than anything else this world can offer," she whispers, nimble arthritic fingers brushing his shoulder.

The dark-haired man nods, and he curls his lips into the gentlest, fondest smile - rarely shown, usually concealed, only seen with those he considered his closest.

"I know."

~~

Naruto is standing with his arms outstretched, and two vast sheets of silk are slung haphazardly over them. The fabric merchant had lent them an area within his booth to try the various fabrics for their own pleasure, but they were in an open space by the streets. People peered inside, too curious, at what Konohagakure's hero (and the renowned Team 7) was possibly doing. A face of immature dissatisfaction Naruto wears causes Sasuke to chuckle lowly, and the blonde's deep pout grows worse.

" _Aa_ , Sakura-chan, this is too much-"

"No it's not, Naruto," Sakura scolds, using her fingertips to sufficiently test each silk, and her pale forehead is crinkled in _Haruno_ -ful concentration: a view greatly familiar in front of her two teammates as Ino watches beside her, however Naruto is becoming irritable, ignoring her every word at this point.

"Yes it is! Don't you understand? I look so stupid! How am I supposed to be Hokage if the villagers are seeing me like this?! They're already going, 'oh, Naruto-san looks as if he's got a stick up his-"

The Uchiha hits Naruto's right side with a solid fist, and the hacking cough sounds Naruto makes is enough to shut his unbearable piehole.

"You _do_ have a stick up your ass, _usuratonkachi_. Appreciate Sakura's efforts and behave; I told you this last time!"

Sasuke passively ignores his fiancé's stubborn mutters, yet an unbidden voice intrudes behind the company, having apparently heard Naruto's childish exchange.

"How the hell are you nineteen and getting married to Uchiha?"

It was a male, with a drawling, otherwise bored tone who sounded like life itself was a bludgeoned mess, and of course, the company turned around in unison.

"Shikamaru!" Ino squeals, breaking off from a visibly amused pinkette's side and encircling her arms around the ANBU co-captain. She presses a sweet, preening kiss upon Nara's flushed cheek - who held back the clear urge to kiss Ino back as his nose barely brushed her own - and Shikamaru's expression is of definite embarrassment; after Ino's prolonged fusses he finally greets his ANBU superior, and captain Sasuke tilts his head, acknowledging.

It wasn't a complete surprise. One year ago Ino was both distraught and enraptured at the (previously unreliable) rumours that Shikamaru had split from Temari of the Sand. Despite the rocky, faux, unstable nature of their relationship, Ino was still incapable of being reasoned with during this period, and according to Sakura, it took _months_ until Ino handpicked her realizations herself: that she was in love with her best friend Shikamaru Nara, equivocally so, and that she was blinded by her own pursuits, and she hence couldn't catch up to the exponential increase of her strong feelings for the astute genius long since childhood.

This outcome also saw them ( _them_ as in the Konoha 11 [because Ino was always a blabbermouth]) find out that Shikamaru had loved her for a very, very long time already. Personal doubt, fear, hesitance and a lack of self-esteem were, according to the Nara, "confounding factors" that nearly drove him to keep his affections for the Yamanaka a top secret.

In short, Shikamaru and Ino were too stubborn that they might have even aged, grown old, and still completely missed that they were in love if it weren't for their friends. They had been in desperate need of slaps to their faces more times than they could count. 

"Shika-man, don't tell Kakashi: he's gonna make me the laughingstock-" Naruto starts, his arms straining, and Shikamaru laughs. "You mean you already look like an idiot." 

The blonde's blue eyes darken, not taking the teasing so lightly, and he waves a foot towards Sakura. " _See-_

"Oh, and by the way, Ino's mom wanted me to tell you that the food selections for the wedding are ready. You can head over there now if you'd like, after your fabric business."

Ino giggles, pecking Shikamaru's cheek one more time, and she lets go of him, their fingertips pressed together for a few long seconds. "I'll meet you guys in fifteen," he says, smiling at Ino, until he strolls back down the street. Some genin who are playing ball cheer when he passes by, saying,"Hi, Shika-sensei!!" in shrill voices, and Ino forces herself to rip her enamoured gaze away from the Nara's retreating back and return her attention to the task at hand.

"Yuck," Sakura mutters, as Ino flicked her best friend's neck. " _Shut up_ , forehead," she hisses, fiery red engulfing her face,"don't say anything!"

"Why not, Ino?" Naruto mocks, chest shuddering from the quiet laughter that ripples through him. "No worries. You'll get used to all those kissey-sweet kisses."

The Uzumaki then realizes how ridiculous he must have sounded.

Beside him, like an answer to his delusional thoughts, Sasuke cleared his throat.

"What do you say, Sakura? Dark navy and black or burnt orange and maroon red?"

Naruto whines, his arms beginning to droop, but Sakura's grin is confident: an infectious smile that tells them she may have discovered the perfect combination - an eclectic colour scheme that just clicks, that works for both fiancés and complements their eyes.

"Dark navy and burnt orange!"

" _Huh_?! Dark navy?!" and " _Burnt orange_?!" are simultaneously screamed out by Sasuke and Naruto, but before they are able to formulate an agreement between these (horrid-ass) choices, Sakura nods with a flourish, tugging the silks off the Uzumaki (who slumps down to the ground, gasping and lilting) and presenting them to the fabric merchant; Sasuke isn't able to stop her.

Naruto blanches, a clear protest with the way his pout oozes dislike, and Sasuke himself is repulsed, because orange was _never_ a shade of flattery (well, okay, fine - his fiancé was the single exception, and he made it look very...appealing, except he refused to let orange manifest itself outside Naruto's apartment). 

The Uzumaki glares at his fiancé, who simply glares back, both mouths twisted into immature frowns, and Sasuke's temple throbs, much so that a ticked vein may have made an appearance, although they struggle to fend off Ino's background snickers.

"You _know_ how I feel about orange, deadlast! How humiliating will it be to see our guests walking around in _carrot_ oran-"

"What the hell are you saying?! Navy is like the most depressing colour I've ever _seen_! Why would I want everyone to feel like they're at a funeral?"

"Navy represents class, honour, tradition, prestige, and the noble social caste of the Uchiha forefathers before us. Orange is so all over the place that it's an eyesore!" Sasuke retaliates, teeth gritted, and Naruto's expression grows more manic, an angry red bubbling to the surface of his skin.

He was too stubborn that his blonde head resembled an acorn's hardness, and Sasuke's tongue couldn't care less about it.

" _WHAT_? Hey teme, if I'm not mistaken, you said you were used to orange like you've been for the last 7 years when you agreed to marry me! And since _I'm_ your future husband, I can tell you that orange symbolizes courage and loyalty within the Uzumaki bloodline! Orange is as relevant as your emo navy-"

"Orange is WAY below the caliber of something as potent as a wedding and it's already thrown out of wack because of your blinding colour, not to mention navy isn't damn _emo_!"

"Oh-ho bastard, do you want me to _break off_ our engagement? 'Cause I-"

"GUYS!"

Sakura's wild face is pink with frustration, her hands balled up into fists - those strong, threatening fists of intimidation that have already seen the worst of the worst and the bloodiest of multiple horrors. Knowing this, the two young men split apart, looking quite sheepish, yet Sasuke stood his ground, sharp jaw still set in ire, while Naruto cocked his head away from him in a weakened pretense of anger.

"Both of you are a _disgrace_! I thought you grew up! Aren't you even the slightest bit concerned about what the villagers might think of their "glorified heroes" now?"

"Well we-"

"Shut up, baka! This is the wedding of the damn century!" Sakura shrieks, waving her arms around in a blizzard of rage, and the orange and navy fabrics she purchased peek out of her tatami bags; Ino is frozen, hiding herself behind a rack of long velvet garments as the spectacle before her unfolds. "I agreed to be your wedding planner because you quacks are my best friends and I know the stress is getting to you too! But can't you at least cooperate? It's what married couples _do_! They _work out their differences_! Get used to it, or else I'll kick you both into the next life!"

Sakura exhales at last, a short, satisfying stretch of silence surrounding them, and she collects her bearings, shaking her normally silken pink hair back to perfection ("She's not human," Naruto muttered under his breath). This very action compels Ino to bring them all in and squeal, "My mom's waiting for us at home - move it, people!". They shuffle along, chirping deep thanks to the fabric merchant who keeps bowing gratuitously, his old green eyes winking at Naruto and Sasuke as if he still cannot believe they were his customers.

Naruto coughs, and the Uchiha senses sweaty, callused fingers grip his hand tight. A tan thumb caresses the pale ridge between Sasuke's index and forefinger, fond and shameful and mischievous, and he accepts Naruto's apologetic gesture.

"Sakura-chan's right. Again. Sorry, teme."

Naruto kisses him swiftly, fully aware of an audience that gape and fawn over them. Murmured coos and awws roll through the cluster of villagers that stop in their own tracks, drinking up the tender scene, and a few parents cover their children's eyes, some of whom loudly beg to see Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke share "true love's kiss".

"I'll get you back for that later," Sasuke whispers, breathless and dizzy from the surprise smooch, and he attempts to sound monotone, to stop feeling like he'll crumble into a lovesick, bumbled heap, but of course he fails. The Uzumaki beams, golden skin bright and warm and as pure as his grin, and the dark-haired man again exercises public restraint. "Not if we get some alone time at the Yamanaka complex."

"Don't even think about it, stupid."


End file.
